The A144 road linking Bungay and Halesworth is a remarkable feature in the mapped landscape between the two communities (Fig 1). It climbs steeply out of the Waveney Valley at Bunday and runs across the flat bounder clay plateau to finally descend into the valley of the northern tributary of the River Blyth at Halesworth. The southern portion is known as 'Stone Street' and it is thought to follow a course established by the Romans to link these two strategic east-west river routeways. From old maps there is a remarkable alignment of field boundaries with Stone Street as it passes through the elongated parish of Ilketshall St Lawrence (fIG 2). At this point, the north-south field boundaries are aligned to Stone Street for several miles, an arrangement known as being co-axial.
Fig 1 Course of the A144 main road between Bungay and the outskirts of Halesworth
Section of OS Sheet 62/38 (1.25,000; 1946)
Fig 2 Part of the above map with parish bundaries marked with purple dots
The main areas of coaxial alignment of field boundaries in St Lawrence extends into the field system of Ilketshall St Margaret. In St Margaret's there is a block of land between Moles Lane and High Street. In St Lawrence the fields in most of the parish on either side of the west and east boundaries running parallel to Stone Street are laid out in a rectangular grid. Both blocks of land have a high proportion of narrow strip fields. The block of land in St Margaret's is centred on Old Hall Farm and has been outlined in yellow in the following map (Fig 3).
Fig 3 Part of Ilketshall St Margaret showing drainage pattern and block of coaxial fields centred on Old Hall Farm.
This Old Hall Farm rectangle with its field boundaries has been sketched diagramatically in Fig 4 and the fields colour coded to show their ownership in the 1840s. The coaxial arrangement with Stone Street is made more obvious when the north-south boundaries are highlighted (Fig 5). This also shows clearly that the aligment does not cross Moles Lane where the fields to the north were laid out at right angles to the small northern brook which the lane follows.
Fig 4 Sketch of Old Hall Farm (OHF) coaxial block with fields colour coded to show ownership in the Tithe Apportionment (1840s)
Ffig 5 Alignment of north-south field boundaries in St Lawrence (red) and St Margaret (green)
Note that most of boundary between St Margaret and St Lawrence does not follow field boundaries. Variation in width of fields.
Two transects across Ilketshall St Margaret and St Lawrence (marked in the above map in blue) revealed similarities and differences in the width of fields. Both transects were 4100 yds long and ran across the two parishes at right angles to the A144.
Transect 1 South of Brookhouse and Old Hall farms
St.Margaret
St.Lawrence
No. of boundaries
12
10
Mean width of fields (yds)
163
182
Range of field widths: St Margarets 50yds to 248: St Lawrence 55yds to 358 yds
Transect 2 Above Highfields Farm and Ilketshall Hall, south of Moles Lane
St.Margaret
St.Lawrence
No. of boundaries
6
7
Mean width of fields (yds)
234
287
Range of field widths: St Margarets 220yds to 358yds: St Lawrence 220 yds to 413 yds
The A144 road linking Bungay and Halesworth is a remarkable feature in the mapped landscape between the two communities (Fig 1). It climbs steeply out of the Waveney Valley at Bunday and runs across the flat bounder clay plateau to finally descend into the valley of the northern tributary of the River Blyth at Halesworth. The southern portion is known as 'Stone Street' and it is thought to follow a course established by the Romans to link these two strategic east-west river routeways. From old maps there is a remarkable alignment of field boundaries with Stone Street as it passes through the elongated parish of Ilketshall St Lawrence (fIG 2). At this point, the north-south field boundaries are aligned to Stone Street for several miles, an arrangement known as being co-axial.
Fig 1 Course of the A144 main road between Bungay and the outskirts of Halesworth
Section of OS Sheet 62/38 (1.25,000; 1946)
Fig 2 Part of the above map with parish bundaries marked with purple dots
The main areas of coaxial alignment of field boundaries in St Lawrence extends into the field system of Ilketshall St Margaret. In St Margaret's there is a block of land between Moles Lane and High Street. In St Lawrence the fields in most of the parish on either side of the west and east boundaries running parallel to Stone Street are laid out in a rectangular grid. Both blocks of land have a high proportion of narrow strip fields. The block of land in St Margaret's is centred on Old Hall Farm and has been outlined in yellow in the following map (Fig 3).
Fig 3 Part of Ilketshall St Margaret showing drainage pattern and block of coaxial fields centred on Old Hall Farm.
This Old Hall Farm rectangle with its field boundaries has been sketched diagramatically in Fig 4 and the fields colour coded to show their ownership in the 1840s. The coaxial arrangement with Stone Street is made more obvious when the north-south boundaries are highlighted (Fig 5). This also shows clearly that the aligment does not cross Moles Lane where the fields to the north were laid out at right angles to the small northern brook which the lane follows.
Fig 4 Sketch of Old Hall Farm (OHF) coaxial block with fields colour coded to show ownership in the Tithe Apportionment (1840s)
Ffig 5 Alignment of north-south field boundaries in St Lawrence (red) and St Margaret (green)
Note that most of boundary between St Margaret and St Lawrence does not follow field boundaries.
Variation in width of fields.
Two transects across Ilketshall St Margaret and St Lawrence (marked in the above map in blue) revealed similarities and differences in the width of fields. Both transects were 4100 yds long and ran across the two parishes at right angles to the A144.
Transect 1 South of Brookhouse and Old Hall farms
St Margarets 50yds to 248: St Lawrence 55yds to 358 yds
Transect 2 Above Highfields Farm and Ilketshall Hall, south of Moles Lane
St Margarets 220yds to 358yds: St Lawrence 220 yds to 413 yds